Lin Dan: Why I’m still out of action

The world No. 2, who withdrew from the Malaysian Open, said that his arch rival showed great promises in the Korean Open, winning the title without dropping a game in five matches last week.

“Although I did not go to Seoul, I followed the tournament closely. Chong Wei is now really in great form. He is a very well-rounded and world-class player,” Lin Dan told sports.cn from his training base here on Tuesday.

On why he withdrew from the Malaysian Open, Lin Dan said that he wanted to train harder and regain tip-top form before going to Kuala Lumpur to compete in the tournament.

“But I have not adjusted to the best of condition. If I go for competitions in a hurry, I will not only be unable to play to my best ability but I will also risk getting injured,” he said.

He added that it was inevitable that other Chinese singles players, Chen Jin and Bao Chunlai, could not play to their true ability in the Korean Open as they had not been training systematically thus far.

Lin Dan said that he would start his season with the defence of the All-England title in Birmingham in March.